The family of Bruce Willis are learning to live with his illness which takes elemant of the Hollywood star bit by bit11:44, 16 Jun 2026Updated 11:44, 16 Jun 2026Emma Heming Willis has described herself as “consistently in grief” as she tries to cope with Hollywood husband Bruce’s dementia. The model also opened up on how being Bruce's caregiver feels like an "ambiguous loss" as she has to grieve a loved one whilst they are still alive.‌The mother of two told The Bossticks Podcast that Willis, 71, has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) doesn't affect his memory.‌The Die Hard actor's family revealed his FTD diagnosis three years ago, and now his wife of 37 years has explained there is a big misconception about the disease, which has "three different variants".‌She told the Bossticks podcast: "The one that Bruce has affects language. But there’s another variant that will affect behaviour and another one that could affect movement."That’s a different part of the brain. So when people say, ‘Oh, does he remember who you are?’ Well, he does because he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, he has FTD. I think that’s a very common misconception that, when you think of dementia, we think of memory loss."‌Die Hard star Willis has daughters Mabel, 14, and Evelyn, 12, with his 47-year-old wife, as well as Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 32, with ex-wife Demi Moore. Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, and retired from acting. This was followed by his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023.Emma went on to speak about the emotional impact Bruce’s illness has on the family. She said: “Thankfully there is a doctor, Dr Pauline Boss, who coined the term ambiguous loss, and it is grieving someone who is alive. And that is what many people who are caregivers to someone with dementia experience, because your person is there physically, but maybe not mentally or emotionally.”She added: “I think what you experience with any form of dementia is it just takes. You know these diseases they take and they take, sometimes very slowly and you are grieving different losses all the time. So you are constantly in grief. I’ve just learned how to navigate it.”‌Emma also told the podcast she first noticed the signs of FTD when a stutter Bruce had as a child started to come back.Bruce, whose career spans blockbusters including Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and Moonlighting, has remained largely out of the public eye since his diagnosis, aside from postings by family members on social media, giving fans updates. Last month, Bruce's daughter Rumer opened up about her father's illness, and revealed she is "so grateful" her own daughter Louetta, three, has been able to meet her grandfather.She revealed how the action movie hero's demeanour has changed since he was diagnosed with FTD. She told The Inside Edit podcast: “I’m so grateful that I get to go see him even though our time together is different now.Article continues below“There’s a sweetness. He’s always been this, kind of, macho dude and now there’s just such a – fragile’s not the right word – but just, like, a tenderness that maybe being, you know, Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way.”Bruce’s health battle has prompted growing awareness around frontotemporal dementia in recent years, with Emma increasingly using her platform on social media to discuss caregiving and dementia support.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.